State-building, expansion and conflict

Civilization: Mesopotamia

Name: Chris Schoonover


Themes
How does this theme apply to your civilization?
Political Structures and forms of governance
  • 3200-2350 B.C.E. - Sumer states dominated public affairs. The ruling class needed to mantain order and ensure cooperation. So, city-states were created.
  • Kings -3000 B.C.E.- Kings most often ruled with local nobles.
  • Hammurabi ruled from Babylon and stationed deputies in regions they controlled.
  • Sargon placed cities under his own governors and administrators.
Empires
  • After 2359 B.C.E. Mesopotamians began to build powerful regional empires.
  • Sargon of Akkad created the empire of Mesopotamia. This collapsed at around 2000 B.C.E.
  • 1792-1750 B.C.E.- The Babylonian empire was created with Hammurabi as the ruler. The Babylonian Empire collapsed at around 1600 B.C.E. because of Hittite assaults.
  • 19th century B.C.E.- Assyrians took over. Empire fell in 612 B.C.E.
Nations and nationalism
  • N/A
Revolts and revolutions
  • 2800 B.C.E.- City-states created conflicts within each other. These conflicts soon escalated into wars. Soon following, the ambitious kings decided to punish the rebellious nobles.
  • During Sargon's rule, there was chronic rebellion in the city-states that resented imperial rule.
  • The Assyrians had a far flung empire that was hard to control. This large empire meant that there were many rebellions. The ruling class had to find a way to administer efficiently.
Regional, transregional, and global structures and organizations
  • 3200 B.C.E.-2350 B.C.E.- The government authorities started public projects like palaces temples and defensive walls.
  • Government also ensured equal distribution of water to all people.
  • City states were developed to oversee not only what was inside the city walls, but what was around them too. For example agricultural production and livestock raising.